No fewer than six World Athletics Continental Tour Silver, Bronze and Challenger events will be streamed live on the European Athletics channels this week. Mark the following in your diary this week.
Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen – Sotteville (World Athletics Continental Tour Silver)
World indoor women’s pole vault champion Marie-Julie Bonnin competes in front of her home crowd in Sotteville. On the track, reigning European champion Lorenzo Simonelli competes in the men’s 110m hurdles while Eugene Amo-Dadzie, the recent winner of the 100m at the European Athletics Team Championships, is one of five sub-10 second competitors in the men’s 100m.
Fellow European Athletics Team Championships winner Fatoumata Diallo from Portugal competes in the 400m hurdles, the event in which she triumphed in Madrid, as well as the 200m.
From an international standpoint, world 400m record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk from South Africa is one of the headline acts of the meeting in the 200m.
Cork City Sports – Cork (World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze)
A whole host of Irish stars will be in action on home soil in Cork including Phil Healy and Israel Olatunde (100m), Nick Griggs (3000m) and Nicola Tuthill (hammer). Tuthill will face a particularly strong field in the hammer including 2022 European champion Bianca Ghelber from Romania and European bronze medallist Rose Loga from France.
Two recent European senior medal winners will clash in the women’s 3000m. European 10,000m bronze medallist Megan Keith faces Germany’s Eva Dieterich, the silver medallist in the 10km at the 2025 European Running Championships.
36° Meeting Arcobaleno EAP AtleticaEuropa – Celle Ligure (World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger)
Seamus Derbyshire, who is sixth on the 2025 European list with 48.42, competes in the 400m hurdles. He is by far the fastest on paper this season against a field including South Africa’s Wernich Van Rensburg (49.24) and Qatar’s Bassem Hemida (49.27).
Morton Games – Dublin (World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze)
Sharlene Mawdsley, who anchored Ireland to an unforgettable gold medal in the mixed 4x400m at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, will be in individual action in the 400m in Dublin. She will face opposition from Lisanne de Witte, a multiple major medallist for the Netherlands in the 4x400m and a European indoor and outdoor 400m bronze medallist.
Recently crowned European 10,000m Cup winner Efrem Gidey from Ireland drops down in distance to the 5000m which also features former European marathon record-holder Sondre Nordstad Moen from Norway and Austria’s Sebastian Frey. Also in the middle distances, Andrew Coscoran and Nick Griggs lead the Irish challenge in the mile.
Ireland’s Jack Raftery, who broke the 45 second-barrier for the first time at the European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division with 44.98, faces fellow sub-45 second performers Elian Larregina from Argentina and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Pohorilko who have improved to 44.67 and 44.84 respectively in 2025.
Moore Guldensporenmeeting – Kortrijk (World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze)
Leading Belgian athletes Christian Iguacel (400m), Tibo de Smet (800m) and Merel Maes (high jump) are some of the first names to be confirmed.
Meeting Lignano – Lignano (World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze)
Reigning European champion Leonardo Fabbri renews his rivalry with teammate and training partner Zane Weir on home soil in Lignano. The field also includes South Africa’s Kyle Blignaut and Great Britain’s Scott Lincoln.
World 400m record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk is also due to contest his first 400m of the year.
by Larry Eder
